Another Quick Camping Trip

The other day I thought about setting up a new blog chronicling my cycling adventures. The perfect domain name for me – Helonwheels is available (please no one buy it now that I have mentioned it!) But then I remembered that writing one blog is a lot of effort, let alone two!

I would totally be up for reading a blog with content about things like this weekend just gone where Rob and I took off in our van, camped for the night and rode a local trail together. In this fantasy blog you would expect beautiful photos, expert local knowledge and well written content that makes you feel like you were part of the experience. And maybe even induce a teeny-weeny bit of lifestyle envy like some blogs can…..

But this is me that we are talking about here. I am far too much of an honest, open person to write a blog like that! This is my real life/reality in a nutshell – I had to beg my boss to not rota me in this weekend (and ended up having a bit of a row with her about it) as I am currently working both Saturday and Sundays (ugh, as fun as it sounds), we were running behind trying to get away for our trip and ended up getting to the campsite at around 3pm, we bickered all the way there and had our version of a PDA (a public display of arguing) in a cafe before both of us finally chilled out (we are a normal couple – we row and get on each others nerves. I am not going to sugarcoat it!) when we got to our destination after taking a few detours as we always manage to miss our turning!

Still, we managed to squeeze another camping trip into this summer, even if we had to rush back for me to get to work at midday on Sunday! That is always a positive, and I managed to cycle around 31 miles in total which I am pleased with.

I want to keep my fitness and stamina levels up and I hope to take part in a longer distance cycle event next year, maybe 40-50 miles? Outings like this are a great way to continue my training, see parts of the country that I haven’t seen before and get some camping in before Autumn gets here and the temperatures drop.

Another major reason to scrap my idea for a second blog is that we didn’t manage to take any decent photos! We were far too busy riding and enjoying ourselves and who wants to lug around a massive DSLR on a bike ride? We just used our mobiles to take some grainy point and shoot amateur snaps. I much prefer to enjoy the moment rather than stage photo opportunities for my blog!

We camped at a site in St Nicholas at Wade in Kent for one night and rode out to Reculver, then along the Thanet coastal promenades (dismounting in the no cycle zones of course, because we are considerate cyclists!), stopping at a pub outside Broadstairs, past a (fake) Viking ship, then back inland through some pretty villages following the national cycle route 15. This route was 50% off road and 50% on road. I am getting a little braver with my riding on the roads, but it is still something I am not hugely fond of.

Inevitably while riding down quiet country lanes, you cannot avoid passing road kill. Its not pretty and something that you try not to look at. However, on our way to Reculver, and quite inland, we saw the strangest ever road kill – a massive fish! Rob said that it serves it right for not looking (he was joking BTW, for those who are sensitive about these things!), but the mind boggles! I guess it must have fell off the back of a lorry or something.

Apparently all the way around my back brake was squeaking. Rob said he kept hearing a funny sound from my bike and it looked like I was riding on my brakes all the time. I wasn’t, although I don’t like going to fast downhills, I do tend to brake all the way down them as I am a chicken! I did hear a funny noise, but I thought that it was the birds chirping for the whole 30 odd miles! Rob found my mistake amusing, for some reason, but he might not be laughing when he gets covered in grease fixing my brakes!

Here is my obligatory screen shot from my Strava account and a couple of mobile snaps of the pair of us looking terrible in lycra! You will see why I do not put any photos of myself up on here! I hate having my photo taken, smile awkwardly and stand funny! Plus spot the huge scar on my leg from when I fell off my bike racing my nephew back in May – my Pretty Polly/Venus razor modelling days are over now for sure!

I forgot to set my Garmin at the beginning!

Please look at the boat rather than sweaty, red faced me!

A beer garden with a sea view. Lots of jelly beans and water were consumed here!